3 Literary Activities

Themes and Stories

Each week, the host for the upcoming meeting selects a different theme to search for within the reading. These themes can be a topic we anticipate being prevalent in the reading, one we are interested in, one that we struggle with, or one we would like to learn more about. Below is a list of some of the themes we have studied thus far:

Intimacy Acceptance Loyalty Escape
Control Awareness Partnership Discovery
Friendship Belonging Yearning Unity

See the appendix for a longer list of possible themes.

Throughout the week, we each search for instances in which the theme appeared in the reading and take note of any questions we have about the theme and the reading. At the beginning of each meeting, the host introduces the theme by sharing a story from their life or from history that relates to the theme. They could share pictures or artifacts that relate to their story as they are telling it. At the end of their story, they may share some kind of conclusion, lesson learned, or question which they hope will be addressed through the course of the meeting.


Sacred Practices

Historically, the following literary practices were used in the context of analyzing sacred texts. By using them as literary tools to study Jane Austen, we are not conflating fiction with religion; rather, we are simply treating stories with respect and demonstrating our hope that we can learn something from them. We originally learned about these practices from the podcast Harry Potter and the Sacred Text.

1. Lectio Divina

Lectio Divina is a slow-paced and deliberate approach to studying scripture. The purpose of this practice is not to gain information explicitly in the text; rather, it is to see beyond the text and make connections between the text and your life.

  • Select a short excerpt of text (1-5 sentences). You can choose the excerpt deliberately, but we prefer to select one at random during our meeting. Read the excerpt aloud.
  • Narrative: Contextualize the passage by describing what is happening in this part of the story.
  • Allegory: Discuss connections between this excerpt and other parts of the story, or other stories. Consider the events, characters, or symbols, and how they might relate to other stories.
  • Contemplation: Share connections between this excerpt and experiences from your life.
  • Reflection: Share a call to action that you feel is offered to you by the text. These invitations could include something you feel you should do, learn, or change.

2. PaRDeS

Two young women walk together down an English street, one with their arm around the otherPaRDeS is a Hebrew practice traditionally used to study the Torah. The word ‘PaRDeS’ is an acronym for the four levels of interpretation within this practice: P’shat, Remez, D’rash & Sud. This acronym is also a Hebrew word meaning ‘orchard’; the implication is that the body of text is comparable to an orchard, and a reader can select at random any part of the text and they will find fruit from that selection. After randomly selecting a short excerpt of text, complete the following steps or PaRDeS.

  • P’shat: Describe the literal meaning of the text. You can address the historical context, cultural setting, and the literary style of the excerpt (including figurative, symbolic, or allegorical language).
  • Remez: Discuss the hidden or implied meaning of the excerpt.
  • D’rash: Discuss the possible applications of the P’shat or Remez. You could share what “sermon” you would teach based on this text.
  • Sud: Look for the secret or mystical meaning of the text.

3. Florilegium

The name for this sacred practice comes from Latin—’flor’ meaning ‘flower,’ and ‘legere’ meaning ‘to gather.’ The goal of florilegium is to learn by gathering bits of text that stand out to you and putting those different pieces of text in conversation with each other. In a group context, each member could select one quote from the text. Then use the following prompts to analyze the excerpts.

  • Share quotes with the group and explain the context. It could be helpful to write them down next to each other.
  • Compare and contrast the quotes. Look for shared words, metaphors, symbols, or literary structure.
  • Discuss how the quotes connect to other parts of the text, other texts, your own life, or society in general.
  • Find new meaning in the collection of quotes. Look for common themes or emotions, as well as contradictions or juxtapositions.
  • Identify any invitation, call to action, or question you feel like the collection is signaling to you.

4. Sacred Imagination

Two men observe a woman play on a piano-forte.

This sacred practice is attributed to Saint Ignatius Loyola, who invited his associates to participate in a creative contemplation of the scriptures focusing on the five senses.

  • Begin by selecting a passage. You can choose a passage at random, but you may want to select a passage ahead of time that is eventful, interesting, or meaningful to you.
  • Read the passage. You could all read the passage individually, or one member could read it aloud while the other members close their eyes and listen.
  • Close your eyes and use your imagination to experience the scene firsthand. What point of view are you taking? Are you experiencing this from a specific character’s point of view, or are you a bystander? Who do you see? Notice their appearances, emotions, decisions, and actions. Pay attention to your five senses. Do you see, smell, hear, taste, or feel anything?
  • Describe your insights or thoughts that resulted from this practice.

5. Havruta

Havruta (literally ‘companionship’) is a traditional approach to studying the Talmud. Within this process, a small group of students sit together to analyze and debate a shared text for the purpose of coming to a deeper understanding through dialogue. There is no teacher in havruta; rather, all participants are peers.

  • One reader comes up with a question about a passage of text and poses the question to the group. Questions can be about the motives of the characters, meaning behind words or actions; look for a “gap in the text,” things that aren’t obviously explained in the text.
  • The first reader then provides a possible answer to their question.
  • Other readers respond to the provided answer, asking follow-up questions and digging deeper. Challenge the first reader on their question or answer with the intention of helping (not to argue). Questions like “Is this idea supported by the text?” “What are the limitations of this idea?” “How would this idea stand up under this particular hypothetical situation?” Avoid simply affirming everything other readers say.
  • Other readers then provide their own answers to the same question.
  • Discuss how to apply the meaning of the passage in your life.

6. Blessings

A blessing can take many forms. Generally speaking, a blessing is a hope or a wish for a character within the text. It can also be a grateful acknowledgement of an admirable action, decision, or trait. You do not need to limit your blessings to “good” characters.

Name the character you wish to bless.

Explain the trait, action, or decision that has influenced your choice to bless them.

If you desire, you can extend that blessing to others who are in a similar situation.

Here is an example from the book Persuasion: “I would like to bless Mary. I see how desperate she is to be included and loved throughout this week’s reading, and sometimes this feeling leads her to make choices that have unintended effects and lead others to feel hurt, uncomfortable, and frustrated. I can see how her experiences growing up as the youngest, and often forgotten, child have led her to become who she is, and I want to bless her that she learns to accept herself and her situation and to treat herself (and others) with love. I want to extend this blessing to others who may feel forgotten. May they realize how their actions affect others, and most importantly, may they feel loved and remembered.”


Below are other literary analysis practices you may enjoy:

Concept Mapping

Concept mapping is a great way to organize ideas, characters, or events in a visual format. A concept map consists of nodes and connections. A node can be any idea that you want to relate to other ideas; nodes are usually a shape with words written inside. The connections between the nodes explain how the nodes are related; these connections are usually represented by lines. Below are different ways your book club could use concept maps:

  • You could spend one meeting collaborating on a group concept map.
  • You could each create a concept map before the meeting and share your ideas during the meeting.
  • You could add to a running concept map each week as new ideas and relations come to your attention.

Here are some suggested prompts that you can use concept maps to explore:

  • What kind of events occur at different locations within the book? Use a concept map to track where characters go and what they do at these locations. Do any patterns emerge through your analysis?
  • How do characters throughout each book you read remind you of characters from other books? Create a large concept map, with a node for each book. The main characters from each book will be sub-nodes. Draw lines between sub-nodes representing similarities you see between characters from different books. Beside the lines, provide a brief explanation for the connection. For example, you could connect Mrs. Gardner from Pride and Prejudice with Mrs. Weston from Emma. Along the connecting line, you could write “Provide loving support and maternal acceptance to main heroines (Elizabeth and Emma, respectively).” You could also include citations to support your assertions.
  • How do relationships between characters change throughout the book? The nodes can be the different states, and the lines can symbolize the events or processes that lead to the changes.
  • How are characters related to each other within the book? This is an especially useful task at the beginning of a character-heavy novel.
A complex concept map detailing all characters from Pride and Prejudice and how they relate to each other.
Pride and Prejudice Character Map

Perspective Exercises

To complete this exercise, first you must select constraints: will you focus on one character or more than one? Will you focus on a specific event, or consider a character through multiple events. Once you select a character and time, contemplate the character’s experience within that time and discuss any of the following questions:

  • What does this character see, hear, smell, feel, and taste in this moment?
  • How might this character be feeling about the people around them?
  • How might this character’s past experiences affect their perception of present events?
  • Why does the character behave in a certain way in this moment?
  • Have I ever felt this way or had a similar experience?
  • How can my experience inform my interpretation of this character’s experience? And how can the character’s experience and behavior inform my interpretation of my experience?

For example, you could contemplate the moment in Sense and Sensibility in which Marianne approaches Willoughby at the dance in London and cannot understand his cold demeanor. You could take Marianne’s perspective, or you could think about Elinor, Willoughby, or another onlooker.

Creative Redesign

A man standing close to a woman, speaking to her as she is looking away.Creative redesign invites readers to use what they are learning about the characters or world of the novel to craft alternate events. Choose a situation within the book and ask yourself, “What would it take for this event to turn out differently?” Using your knowledge of the characters, you could ask yourself, “How would this person have behaved had the situation been different?” or “What might character A do if they were in the same situation as character B?” Below are example prompts:

  • Design a marriage proposal that Elizabeth (Pride and Prejudice) would be likely to accept.
  • What would have happened if Harriet (Emma) had accepted Robert Martin’s first proposal?
  • How would Jane Bennet (Pride and Prejudice) have behaved if it had been she (and not Elizabeth) to whom Mr. Collins proposed?
  • Knowing Mr. Willoughby’s character, how would a marriage between him and Marianne pan out?

Found Poetry

To complete this activity, you will need to scan and print excerpts from your chosen book. You can select the excerpts at random or choose parts that stand out to you. With a pair of scissors, cut out words and phrases until you have a large selection. Make sure to include plenty of operational words (such as verbs, articles, and prepositions). Put the slips of paper in a bowl and have each member select some at random. Arrange the words in any way that is aesthetically pleasing to create your “found poem.” Once you have arranged your poem, you can glue the words onto a new piece of paper and take turns reading your finished pieces.

Historical Research

You could incorporate history into your study, even when studying fiction. Research the time period in which the book takes place or when the author lived. Ask questions like, “How would historical events have impacted the characters in this book?” or “What aspects of the author’s culture influenced their work?” Create a collection of images of locations where the characters may have visited, books they may have read, or famous people they might have known about.

Word Blank Activity

Individually, select a favorite excerpt and replace important words with blanks. Take note of the parts of speech that belong in each blank, and make an ordered list of those parts of speech on a separate piece of paper. Ask the others to come up a word for each part of speech on the list. Do not let them see the original excerpt. Finally, reread the excerpt aloud, filling in the blanks with the random words provided by the other members. This activity produces amusing, and sometimes even meaningful, results. For an example from Pride and Prejudice, see the appendix.

License

The Jane Austen Book Club Copyright © by Katie Staudte. All Rights Reserved.

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